Enjoy the Moment

-

Enjoy the Moment

Ecclesiastes 11:8-10

 

“Indeed, if a man should live many years, let him rejoice in them all.”

 

            It is easy to become so focused on the future and what we want to achieve and attain in life that we stop enjoying the present.  The book gives us an accurate picture of life in a fallen world.  Sin has brought futility and brokenness in a world God created for our enjoyment and accomplishment.  However, the book does not desire to leave us there, wallowing in a meaningless life with no purpose and where all ultimately has no value in death.  As he reaches the book's climax (11:7-12:14), the sage seeks to give us the answer to finding meaning and enjoyment in life.  Even though we are traveling towards death, where all wealth and accomplishments are nullified, we are still to remember that life is a gift from God and the dawning of a new day brings a glorious sunrise for our eyes to enjoy (vs 7).  In spite of all the frustrations of life, Solomon challenges us to stop to enjoy the moment, which is God’s gift to us.  

            In verse 8, we are challenged to find joy in life.  But again, as Solomon has done repeatedly, we are to keep life in balance and avoid the extremes of becoming sad and melancholy in the face of death and the other extreme of ignoring death’s reality and becoming overly engrossed in the pursuit of pleasure.   We are to avoid becoming the ascetic who denies all pleasure and the hedonists who live for the next party.  We are neither to be the playboy nor the prude.  Solomon reminds us that when we are young, we are to enjoy the moments of each day.  In our youth (and in our old age), we can be so focused on the attainment of goals, moving up the corporate ladder, becoming a success, and developing our financial portfolio that we do not stop to enjoy the moment and enjoy the life God has given us in the present.  However, in our enjoyment of life, we must also recognize that we are still to live within God’s word and righteousness.  Life's enjoyment is to avoid the snare of the enjoyment of sin where we always think that “tomorrow I will live for God.”  We must never forget that God will hold us accountable for our actions. So, in our enjoyment of life, we live with an eye upon eternity and God’s will for us.    

            So many times, we either live in the past, always carrying the ball and chain of events that happened many years ago, or are overly obsessed regarding the future, always living with the desire for something we have not yet obtained.  Instead, we are challenged to recognize that real life is lived in the moment, and we are to enjoy the moment that we now have.  For all its problems, life is still a gift from God, and daily, He bestows upon us His blessings (from the beauty of the northern lights to the enjoyment of spending time with family and friends).  These small blessings are not to be overlooked.  They are God’s gift to us so that we find joy in each and every day.  Instead of worrying about the future or lamenting past events, enjoy this day that you have.  It is a gift from a gracious God for you to enjoy. 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A New Way of Life

-
A New Way of Life Hebrews 10:19-25 “Therefore, brethren, since we have the confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus…let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”                   The book of Hebrews is centered on the redemptive work of Christ and how His sacrifice is sufficient for paying the penalty of our sins so that we now have free access to God.   By comparing the Old Testament sacrificial system and the sacrifice on the day of atonement with the sacrifice of Christ, the writer points out that the Old Testament sacrificial system and the Day of the Atonement provided only temporary and partial forgiveness for our sins.  Every year, the High Priest would take the blood of the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement and enter into the Holy of...
Read more

When Injustice Reigns

-
When Injustice Reigns Eccl. 8:10-14 “There is futility which is done on the earth, that is, there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked. On the other hand, there are evil men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I say that this too is futility.” Traditional wisdom informs us that God blesses the righteous, and the wicked will suffer calamity because of their sin. In Proverbs 10, we find a discourse on the contrast between the righteous and the wicked. Traditional wisdom informs us that “Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot” (Prov. 10:6-8). In the moral order established by God, we obtain blessing and prosperity when we walk in obedience to God, for this is the promise of the law given to Moses (see the blessings and curses of the law in Deut. 28). However, Solomon takes a closer examination o...
Read more

The Prayer God Answers

-
The Prayer that God Loves to Answer Phil. 1:7-11 “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”               When we pray, what is the focus of our requests?  James points out that one of the reasons we are powerless in prayer is because we ask with the wrong motives. Our prayers focus on what we want for our pleasure and happiness rather than spiritual transformation (James 4:3). Effective prayer starts with the proper focus.  This is not to say that God does not desire us to pray about our personal needs.  He invites us to pray about all things and issues in our lives.  However, prayer is not al...
Read more